Now that things had come to this point, Xu Di was too embarrassed to say anything more. Xu Bai, however, looked at the boxes, sniffed them, and said, "Grandmother, the boxes smell nice."

The old lady chuckled and said, "This box is made of nanmu wood. Nanmu wood smells so nice. Brother Bai, come here. How many words can you recognize in these books?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai nimbly flipped onto the daybed and reached for the book in the box, startling Xu Di, who was afraid he would tear the pages. Fortunately, nothing went wrong. Xu Bai then placed the book on the kang table, pointed to a few words, and read them aloud to the old lady, all of which he pronounced correctly.

The old lady said with a smile, "I knew our Bai-ge'er was a smart child. He's so young, yet he already knows so many words."

Xu Bai smiled smugly and looked up. He saw Xu Di looking at him with a hint of disdain and sarcasm. He knew that Xu Di looked down on his attempts to act cute and charming. He wrinkled his nose at Xu Di, made a face, and then jumped into the old lady's arms, playing with her.

The whole family ate lunch at the old lady's place. After the meal, Ning said, "I'd like to invite everyone over for dinner tonight. My sister-in-law will be taking the children back to Hexi soon, so this will be a farewell dinner for them."

The old lady smiled and said, "This is a good thing. If you don't mind my old age, I'll go too."

Ning said with a smile, "What are you saying, Grandmother? We couldn't be happier if you came."

Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I'll bring the children over tonight."

Ning paid for the two tables herself, as it was a farewell dinner for Zhang Zhaoci and his family. Everyone at the table brought out the ceremonial items they had prepared for Zhang Zhaoci and his family, and even Xu Zhi's girlfriends made some sachets and handkerchiefs as gifts.

On September 11th, early in the morning, the side gate of the Marquis's mansion opened. Zhang Zhaoci led her three children to kowtow to the old lady. The Marquis saw them off at the main gate. The family of four, along with Granny Lu and more than a dozen large carriages, headed towards Hexi under the escort of more than a dozen guards and servants from the Marquis's mansion and more than a dozen bodyguards from the escort agency.

Fearing that the weather would get colder and colder after October, and that the journey would be nothing like the trip back to the capital, Xu Rao, who had already received the letter, waited at a post station more than 20 miles away from Hexi after more than 20 days of traveling through wind and rain.

Upon seeing his wife, Xu Rao was overjoyed and immediately picked Xu Bai up in her arms, saying with a smile, "This little guy, it hasn't been that long since we last met, and he's grown so much!"

Xu Zhi and Xu Di bowed to Xu Rao, while Xu Bai kicked his legs and said, "Father, Father, I want to bow to you."

Upon hearing this, Xu Rao put Xu Bai down and exclaimed in surprise, "You can even bow to me now?"

Xu Bai, imitating Xu Di, bowed to Xu Rao. Upon seeing this, Xu Rao smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad, you've improved quite a bit."

The whole family sat in the carriage that Zhang Zhaoci and the others had been in. Xu Rao hugged Xu Bai and said, "You must have had a long journey."

Zhang Zhaoci kept smiling as she looked at Xu Rao. Xu Di knew that his parents had never been separated for such a long time. Once, Zhang Zhaoci was going to work in Africa for a year, but during a medical examination, a small cyst was found in her uterus, so she couldn't go and had surgery at the main hospital.

Xu Rao said, "This is the first time I've been separated from you all for so long. Fortunately, there have been so many things to do this year that I've been so busy that I just go home and fall asleep as soon as I get home. I haven't had time to think about you. Otherwise, I really would have to go back to the capital."

Xu Di said, "Just say what you want to say, we'll just listen."

Xu Rao said, "Do you not believe I'm busy, or do you not believe I miss you all?"

Xu Di said, "I believe everything you say, really. Who else can I believe if not you? By the way, Father, have all the people in Hexi moved into their new houses yet?"

Xu Rao said happily, "Of course, we all moved in last autumn and spent the New Year in the new house. However, the back office of our county government is not finished yet, so when you come back, you will have to stay at the General's Mansion first."

Xu Di asked, "What about my mother-in-law's family?"

Xu Rao said, "Your mother-in-law's family used to have a house in the city, and now they've been allocated one. They moved in a long time ago and have settled down in Xi'an, He'an."

Xu Di said, "Then when you leave, won't they have to leave with you? Will the house be able to be sold then?"

Xu Rao said, "Of course they can be sold. Their houses all have property deeds. They are their own property and can be bought and sold at will."

Xu Di said, "That's good. I've thought it all out. In the future, I'll help them buy a small estate in the suburbs. If they want to buy a house in the capital, they can buy one there."

Xu Rao laughed and said, "You're thinking way ahead. You're not even married yet, and you're already thinking about helping your future father-in-law's family buy a house?"

Xu Di said, "That's right, Father. I'm going to pursue an official career in the future. My father-in-law's family is like my backyard. I can't let things get out of hand. You know my brother-in-law. He's only good enough to be a rich man. I need to make sure his family is settled before I can go into battle with peace of mind."

Xu Rao said, "You have a long way to go. You just passed the provincial examination and haven't even taken the palace examination yet. If you don't take the palace examination next year, you'll have to wait another three years. You'll be eighteen years old in three years. I think that's a bit too early. Why don't you wait until you're twenty-two to take the exam? Even if you pass by then, you won't be very impressive."

Xu Di said, "That's what I think too. I also told my grandfather that for the past six or seven years, I studied at home with you for the first few years, and for the last two years, I went to my Aunt Ru's house to study diligently with my uncle for two years, to reflect and prepare myself for the imperial examination."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!